I am very concerned about the escalating conflict in the Red Sea and the risk this could spill into a wider regional war. Every time we turn on the global news, we hear inflammatory rhetoric, with some political or military figure telling the audience we need to prepare for war with whoever is considered to be the supervillain at that time. Truthfully at this point, we have to ask ourselves whatever happened to diplomacy. Where is the EU in trying to promote dialogue and de-escalation? I cannot understand how the U…

One in every 100 Gazans has now been killed. The death toll has reached over 25,000. That is an absolutely terrifying figure. It is actually a figure that is impossible to comprehend but we have to comprehend it because we need to understand the scale of the loss and the genocide that is unfolding in Gaza. I know that, during an tAire Stáit's time as Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, he got to know my home county of Galway. I will use it as an example. It is like every resident of Athenry, Ba…

The issue of vulture funds snapping up family homes across this State is an absolute shame on this Government, just as it is a shame that over 4,000 children were in homeless accommodation over the Christmas period. The fact that this has not been mentioned every day by Ministers in this Dáil since it returned is utterly shameful. Today, I was interested to hear the Taoiseach say he regrets that vulture funds are snapping up family homes. When one listens to those on the Government benches, one would almost think t…

Ligfidh mé spás don Aire teacht aníos. Baineann an cheist atá agam le cúrsaí tithíochta do mhic léinn. My question relates to student housing. Will the Minister give an update on student housing? I am aware of the announcements this week. Will he provide further details on those announcements?

To be perfectly honest, for most people, the announcement this week would have sounded like there was to be very substantial new investment in student accommodation. We sometimes need to look at how announcements and the media reporting around them are perceived and the hopes and concerns among students they can lead to. It is just not good enough for announcements to be made that can give people hope only for us not to deliver. If we look at what this three-point policy actually is, we will see that it will not me…

This is about teasing it out and trying to understand. I was previously Sinn Féin spokesperson on public expenditure and reform. I have never seen a Department that does as many announcements as the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I welcome announcements if they mean there will be progress for students and things will be better for them. When that is the case, I am totally on board. When it is announcements that do not seem to be making much of a difference in students'…

When will they be able to borrow?

The Minister can respond while replying to my next question.

What work is being undertaken by the Department to ensure that current students and apprentices are retained here? I ask the Minister to make a statement on the matter.

Go raibh maith agat, a Aire. I would love to see the data. That would be fantastic. Did the Minister say 7,000 students took part in the survey?

That is interesting. I am sure the Minister is aware of the story, first broken by The Sunday Times , that over 21,000 Irish citizens have been granted visas to Australia, double the number recorded in the previous year. This will not come as a surprise to any of us because we see it in our friendship groups and neighbourhoods. With the number of people going to Australia, it feels like it did when I came out of college or did the leaving certificate in the 2008 period. According to The Sunday Times , between July …

I am aware of that statistic. It was the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, who raised it with me. I do not think it is tens of thousands. I stand to be corrected on that. I will have to look it up. The reality is 21,000 young people went to Australia last year, which is a massive increase from the previous year. Obviously there is something amiss here. We are not in the age group where our friends who had left are coming back or hoping to come back and are trying to raise a family. Fundamentally, the housing cr…

There is no housing.

As the Minister is aware, this is something I have had a particular interest in. I note the Minister mentions the increase in the number of places from 13,000 to 16,000. Does he think he will have the capacity to deal with that? We know it has been impossible to deal with the capacity up to now. On that, the Minister mentioned how just over 3,300 people are waiting. Can he specifically clarify what exactly that figure relates to? That is really important. Obviously, we need people to be trained in order that we can…

Yes, the figure of 3,000.

I ask the Minister to provide details on those 3,000 places and exactly what they relate to. In addition, have critical skills and immigration visas ever been looked at in terms of trades? I have looked at that and it did not seem to be clear. On the five-year period the Minister mentioned, I was talking specifically about 2022-23, when there was a doubling of people with visas going to Australia and there was an increase in the number of people leaving over those coming in.

Eight years ago, the CEO of IRES REIT, one of the big vulture funds, said, "We've never seen rental increases like this in any jurisdiction that we're aware of", before adding: "I truly feel bad for the Irish people." That CEO has long retired, but I wonder what he would say if he was looking at rents today. Does the Minister of State know what the average rent was when the former CEO expressed that regret for the Irish people? It was €986 per month. In Galway, rents are more than €1,980 per month. Is it any wonder…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus feicim go bhfuil grúpa mór sa Ghailearaí. Nílim cinnte cárb as dóibh ach fearaim fáilte rompu ar fad. Inniu, táimid ag plé le hairgead caipitil a bheidh á chur ar aghaidh go dtí an bhliain seo chugainn. Nuair atá os cionn €500 milliún i gceist, agus nuair a fheicimid na bóithre, na droichid agus na céanna i gConamara agus ar na ceithre oileán amach ó chósta na Gaillimhe, caithfidh mé a rá nach n-aontaím go bhfuil an oiread sin airgid nach bhfuil caite againn i mbliana. N…

On Friday, I met a woman who is due to be evicted from her home with her three children just days before Christmas. As people can imagine, she was visibly upset. She was particularly upset because she felt she could not put up her Christmas tree. She said putting up her Christmas tree and putting the lights on it reminded her of the countdown to being evicted from that home with her three children. That decision is on the Minister of State. He is in the Department of housing. It is on him that this woman will be ev…

It is becoming increasingly difficult for many young people to see a future in Ireland. For many of the young people who have left, housing becomes the greatest barrier for those who want to return. We have seen it with rising rents and the unaffordability of housing. Today, Galwegians will have heard something that confirmed what they already knew: house prices in Galway are simply unaffordable. A couple now needs to earn €115,000 in order to be able to buy a home there. Young people and young couples have been cr…